Seizing the World Cup opportunity

Alex Burgess - Head of Client Services

15th June 2018

The World Cup has launched with a 5-0 bang, ready to drive every fan and non-fan alike to the sofa to catch the next game. But how can brands who are not necessarily affiliated with the competition still stand to gain from it?

Non endemic brands, such as supermarkets or fashion houses might seem irrelevant or uninterested in World Cup marketing… but this is a mistake. The World Cup generates constant conversation and online activity therefore it is the perfect opportunity for brands to cut through the dull, everyday noise.

But how can seemingly unrelated brands reach this audience?

Messaging

Finding the right message is key. Whether it’s aligning yourself with the tribalism of different countries or adapting your offering to the audience, having a clear message linked to the World Cup makes the difference between successful campaigns and scoring an own goal (sorry, couldn’t help the pun).

Take, for example, our Dream Big With Lidl campaign for the World Cup, this has been centred around the team and promoting their partnership with the FA. Lidl have positioned themselves as ‘dreaming big’ to support the future talent of England football; ultimately supporting their biggest fans.

Channels

How you reach your audience is as vital as what you’re saying. Posting a message on your own social channels, regardless of the size, still has an air of self promotion. Audiences respond to sponsored, branded content in a way that is far less effective than using influencers. Influencers provide an authentic route to speak to your target audience, portraying your brand message from different points of view.

A sports influencer, someone with a feed relevant to the World Cup, who is equally interested in your product is a dream advocate for non endemic brands. With the correct audience, they are able to increase your relevance and affiliate you with the competition. For example, they’re posting a story or a tweet about wearing your clothing/ enjoying your beer/ betting on your app during a prominent World Cup match. Fans are heading to their feeds to find out the latest news and opinions, they see their favourite influencer posting about how your brand is enhancing their World Cup experience.

CTA

Of course, the key part of any successful campaign. Implementing the correct CTA in your post will drive the highest conversion. Depending on your KPIs, you can incorporate swipe ups in influencer Instagram Stories to drive high quality traffic, or give influencers a personalised code to engage their followers. Whatever you do, ensure your campaign includes a clear, smart CTA.

So now you know our secrets, although we’ve kept the best ones to ourselves 👀. Following our own advice, here’s our CTA: get in touch with us at info@goatagency.com and see how we can help run your World Cup campaign.